Australian military on Friday said that it plans to switch from its European designed fleet of Taipan helicopter to American Black Hawks and Seahawks, citing that US machines are more reliable.
The announcement comes less than three months after Australia canceled a deal to purchase French submarines in favor of establishing nuclear-powered submarines that use US and British technology in a switch that deeply enraged France.
“The Taipans weren’t meeting their marks. And we want to make sure that our defense forces have the best possible equipment to defend this country, and the Black Hawks will provide that,” Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.
Australia has 47 Airbus-designed Taipan helicopters, which were supposed to last until 2037, but have been grounded repeatedly. In a switch that will cost 7 billion Australian dollars, Australia will stop purchasing these helicopters and replace them with Lockheed Martin’s helicopters.
